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Global ETPs raked in $100.6 billion in net inflows during January, eclipsing the previous monthly inflow record of $68.7bn set in September 2008, while EMEA-listed ETPs gathered $14.1bn in January, equalling the largest monthly inflow of all time in January 2015, according to BlackRock’s latest ETP Landscape report. Patrick Mattar, iShares EMEA capital markets team at BlackRock, looks at the key themes behind the month’s record flows.

UBS Global Asset Management has cross-listed four currency-hedged ESG-themed ETFs on Deutsche Börse. The ETFs, which include three equity ETFs and one corporate bond ETF, are all based on indices which incorporate an evaluation of environmental, social and governance performance by MSCI. They also include in-built euro-currency hedges designed to mitigate the effect of adverse currency movements.

Naoki Kamiyama, Chief Strategist at Nikko Asset Management, discusses some of the key forces shaping the outlook for the Japanese economy and stock market in 2018, including government policy, earnings growth, wage growth, and capital expenditure.

China Post Global has cross-listed the Market Access iStoxx MUTB Japan Quality 150 Index UCITS ETF (MAJQ LN) on the London Stock Exchange. The ETF is the first product China Post Global has listed on the LSE since it acquired the Market Access ETFs from RBS in 2016.

ERI Scientific Beta, an affiliate of the EDHEC-Risk Institute, and Fundlogic, the ETF platform of investment bank Morgan Stanley, have partnered to launch five smart beta ETFs on the London Stock Exchange. The ETFs provide factor-based equity exposure to the US, Japan, developed Asia-Pacific ex-Japan, developed Europe, and emerging markets.

A robust global economy and monetary policy tightening could benefit export-oriented economies in Asia. Coupled with a recovery of consumption within the region, we continue to believe that Asian equities provide better earnings growth prospects at a more attractive valuation relative to developed markets.

After US equities, Japanese equities are the second largest country weighting in the MSCI World Index, at close to 9% as of the end of October 2017. As such, Japan is an important allocation for many investors. However, the country has unique economic and equity market attributes, and therefore it’s paramount that investors find an appropriate investment solution.

Lyxor has cross-listed the Lyxor SG Japan Quality Income UCITS ETF (SGQJ SW) on SIX Swiss Exchange. The fund was launched in September this year and provides access to high-quality Japanese companies that pay high dividends.

FTSE Russell, one of the biggest players in the ETF indexing space, has announced the expansion of its environmental, social and governance (ESG) equity index offering with the launch of the FTSE Global Climate Index Series and the FTSE ESG Index Series.